Modular storage rack

ABSTRACT

A modular storage rack for a flow through or push back rack system comprises a plurality of endless loop modular carriage units mounted end to end in adjacent storage bay sections and being connected to cross beams at the ends of the sections. Mounting brackets or saddles interconnect the ends of the track sections with adjacent cross beams. A transfer assembly comprising wheels or rollers is mounted in the frame between adjacent ends of the carriage units. The transfer assembly maintains the storage units at a substantially level plane and modulates the speed of the storage units as they are transferred from one storage bay section to the next adjacent storage bay section. An inclined ramp slows the storage units before they hit a stop plate at the end of the bay. The storage units ride on support surfaces having downwardly inclined edges that allow close clearance to transfer rollers.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a non-provisional application based on and claiming the filingpriority of co-pending provisional patent application Ser. No.60/446,925, filed Feb. 10, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to storage racks used in warehousing andmore particularly to a storage rack wherein modular pallet carriersconvey pallets back or through a storage bay having a multiple palletdepth.

Warehouse storage racks typically comprise a frame structure dividedinto rows and columns that define storage bays for depositing storageunits (e.g., pallets) of products to be stored. In order to conservespace in a storage facility, storage bays are sometimes more than onepallet deep. Movable carriers mounted on tracks are sometimes used topermit pallets to be moved to rearward storage locations from a singleloading station at the front of the rack system. One such rack system isa “push back system” or “roll back system”, wherein pallets are loadedat a front of the storage bay and pushed rearwardly by the next palletsas they are loaded on the rack. Then the pallets are unloaded from thefront of the storage bay on a last in, first out basis. In anotherstorage rack system, pallets are loaded at one end of the storage bayand pushed through the storage bay and unloaded from the other side ofthe storage bay. These are called “flow through systems.”

A push back or roll back system is disclosed in Applicant's U.S. Pat.No. 6,431,378 B1, which is incorporated herein by reference. One of theembodiments disclosed in this patent is a modular system wherein modulartrack sections are mounted in a storage rack and interconnected toprovide a push back type of rack (see FIGS. 22-44). An object of thepresent invention is to provide an improved modular rack system that isadaptable to either a flow-through system or a push back system.

For purposes of illustration, a flow-through system will be described.The end of the storage bay where goods are loaded on to the rack will bereferred to as the front of the rack, whereas the opposite end of therack where goods are unloaded will be referred to as the rear or backend of the rack. Goods moving in a forward direction through the rackare goods moving from front to the rear of the storage bay.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A modular storage rack in accordance with the present invention, ismounted in a frame defining at least one storage bay having a depthsufficient to accommodate a plurality of separate storage units inseparate horizontally spaced sections of the storage bay. The framecomprises cross beams between the ends of adjacent sections of thestorage bay. A plurality of modular carriage units extend end to endacross the storage bay. Each carriage unit includes an endless loop ovaltrack section with spaced, interconnected wheeled carrier members beingconnected in an endless loop and mounted for movement around the tracksection. Each carriage unit extends into proximity to the cross beams atthe ends of a storage bay section. Mounting brackets interconnect theends of the track sections with adjacent cross beams so as to suspendthe carriage units between the beams on opposite ends of the storage baysections. A transfer assembly is mounted in the frame between adjacentends of adjacent carriage units. The transfer assembly comprisescylindrical members mounted for rotation about a transverse axis andpositioned with an upper side of the cylindrical members beingsubstantially at the same level as the upper side of the carriage units,such that the cylindrical members maintain storage units at asubstantially level plane as they are transferred from one storage unitto the next adjacent storage unit.

The transfer assembly includes a transverse support member that extendsover a cross beam, sometimes with reinforcement, with the cylindricalmembers being rotatably mounted in the support member. The supportmember is mounted to opposing ends of adjacent carriage units bybrackets. The cylindrical members can be rollers or wheels or the like.

The carriage units can be separate units mounted on each side of thestorage bay or a single carriage unit that extends all the way acrossthe bay.

In one embodiment of the invention, the transfer assembly includes atleast three longitudinally spaced cylindrical roller members positionedbetween the ends of adjacent track sections, the cylindrical membersbeing positioned to engage storage units and modulate the speed of thestorage units as they are transferred from track section to tracksection in the storage bay. In another aspect of the invention, thetransfer assembly includes a single row of wheels.

In one aspect of the present invention, the carriage units are supportedby saddle members mounted on the cross beams, the saddle membersengaging and supporting ends of the track sections, and the tracksections being releasably fastened to the saddle members. In anotheraspect of the present invention, the carriage units are attached to thecross beams by brackets mounted on the track sections, the bracketsresting on the cross beams and being releasably fastened to the crossbeams. At least one bracket permits longitudinal position adjustment.The rack includes a stop plate at an end of the storage bay to preventstorage units from falling off the end of the bay. An upwardly rampedplate is positioned adjacent an inner side of the stop plate. This slowsthe storage unit down before it hits the stop plate as the storage unitslides upwardly on the ramped plate.

The carriage members of the present invention preferably include platemembers having horizontal storage unit support surfaces, the platemembers being downwardly inclined at opposite sides of the supportsurfaces so as to provide close clearance between the plate members andthe transfer assembly when the plate members move around arcuatesections of the track at the ends thereof.

These and other features, objects, and benefits of the invention will berecognized by one having ordinary skill in the art and by those whopractice the invention, from the specification, the claims, and thedrawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a first embodiment of a storagerack employing a modular flow through pallet support mechanismconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rack and pallet support mechanism ofFIG. 1, taken from the rear end of the support mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the front end of the pallet supportmechanism of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the front support mechanism of FIG. 3,taken from the rear side thereof.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing three aligned modular carriageunits of the flow through system mounted on spaced cross beams of thestorage rack.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the junction between adjoiningcarriage units mounted on the same intermediate cross beam, and showinga pallet transfer assembly mounted between the ends of the adjacentmodules.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the pallet transfer assembly of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the end of acarriage unit module is attached to the rear end of a storage bay.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the presentinvention wherein the pallet support mechanism comprises a single palletcarriage mechanism that extends the width of the storage bay, theperspective view in FIG. 9 showing the rear end of the pallet supportmechanism.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the pallet support mechanism of FIG. 9,taken from the forward side of the rear end of the system.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the rear end of the pallet supportmechanism of FIG. 10, showing the manner in which the rear carriage unitmodule is attached to the rear load beam of the storage rack.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the pallet support mechanism of FIG. 9,taken from the side of the pallet support mechanism and showing the useof elongated cross braces that extend between spreader support bracketsattached to each of the spaced left and right track sections.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the pallet support mechanism of FIGS.9-12, showing the manner in which the end of one carriage unit module ismounted on a horizontal cross beam.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of the connection between the modularcarriage unit of FIG. 13 and the horizontal cross beam, showing the useof a welded bracket to the end of a track.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the connection between a modularcarriage unit of FIG. 14 and a horizontal cross beam, employing abracket that is bolted to the carriage unit as opposed to being weldedto the carriage unit and showing the end of the pallet transfer assemblyemployed with this embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the pallet support mechanism of FIG. 9,showing the pallet transfer assembly employed in that embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged perspective view showing one of the rollerassemblies of the pallet transfer assembly of FIG. and showing aclearance gap of about ⅛ inch between the end of the roller assembly andthe end of the carrier member.

FIGS. 18A, 18B, and 18C are side elevational, right hand edge, and topviews of the outer spreader support bracket of the present invention.

FIGS. 19A, 19B, and 19C are a front elevational view, right hand edgeview, and top view of a slide mounting bracket of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a cross sectional view of the pallet storage mechanism ofFIG. 9, facing the front end of the storage bay.

FIGS. 21A, 21B, and 21C are a top view, front end view, and side view ofthe roller transfer assembly of the embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIGS. 22A, 22B, and 22C are a front edge view, top view, and end view ofthe carrier of FIG. 9, with the end of the carrier being removed to showthe interior thereof.

FIG. 23 is an end view of the carrier of FIG. 22.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, an exemplary warehousing storage racksystem 10, shown in FIG. 1, comprises a frame or rack 12 consisting ofspaced vertical columns or uprights 14 and horizontal cross beams 16that define a series of vertically and horizontally spaced storage bays18. A single storage bay is shown in FIG. 1, with the storage baycomprising a front section 18A, three intermediate sections 18B, and arear section 18C. Each storage bay section is positioned one behind theother and is sized to accommodate a standard size of storage unit. Thestorage unit is commonly a pallet 19, which is loaded in the storage bayby a forklift truck. Pallet 19 supports products or goods that are beingstored in the rack. A typical pallet is about 40 inches wide and about48 inches long and about 5 inches tall. For exemplary purposes, a rackdesigned to accommodate a standard pallet is illustrated. The horizontalcross beams 16 at the bottom of storage bay 18 include front and rearload beams 16A and 16B respectively and intermediate beams 16C, whichtypically are box beams, I beams, or C-shaped beams. The cross beams arebolted to the uprights by brackets 17 at the ends of the beams inpreformed spaced holes in the uprights. The beam brackets 17 have holesspaced at one inch intervals and the uprights have holes spaced twoinches apart. Thus, a flow-through system 20 illustrated in FIG. 1 canbe mounted at an inclined angle simply by mounting the cross beams atdifferent heights in the mounting holes.

A first embodiment of a flow-through system 20 comprises a movablepallet carriage mechanism 22 mounted on the horizontal beams 16 at thebottom of the storage bay and extending in a longitudinal directionbetween the front and the back of the bay. The carriage mechanism shownin FIGS. 2-8 includes two laterally spaced rows of aligned, modularcarriage units 24. Each carriage unit 24 is mounted at front and rearends thereof to cross beams 16. Each carriage unit module includes aseries of wheeled carriers 25 pivotally interconnected by links 38 so asto form a continuous loop that is positioned on a generally oval track26 which is also formed in the shape of a continuous loop. Track 26includes a pair of laterally spaced left and right track sections 27having opposed G-shaped cross sections, with open sides of the tracksections facing each other. These cross sections are the same as thecross section of track section 82, as shown in FIG. 20. Each tracksection 27 includes an upper support rail 28, a lower support rail 30,and a curved section 32 at each end interconnecting the upper and lowersupport rails into an oval loop. The upper and lower rails of each tracksection are spaced apart by spreader support brackets 33 welded to therails. The left and right track sections are connected together by crossbraces 35 that extend between spreader support brackets. The wholeassembly of spaced track sections is thus one integral unit.

The wheeled carrier members 25 each comprise a horizontal supportsurface 41, with side flanges 43 extending downwardly from oppositesides thereof. Wheels 36 are mounted on outer sides of each side flangeand ride in the left and right track sections 27.

Referring to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-8, this pallet supportmechanism employs two rows of aligned modular carriage units 24 on eachside of the storage bay 18. Pallet 19 is suspended between the two rowsof modular carriage units. The rear end of the flow-through systemincludes a pair of stop plates 44 bolted to cross beam 16B and extendingupwardly so as to stop the pallet when it comes to the end of the track.

The front end of the carriage mechanism includes plate 46 that is boltedto cross beam 16A and extends upwardly therefrom and then has aninclined upper surface 48 that extends rearwardly. The inclined surfaceprevents a pallet from damaging the front end of the pallet supportmechanism and causes the pallet to be cammed upwardly on top of thepallet support mechanism.

The manner in which modular carriage units 24 are mounted in the storagebay is shown in FIGS. 4-7. Referring to FIG. 5, a carriage unit module24 is integrally formed as a unit with oval left and right tracksections 27 on each side thereof and with the carrier members pivotallyinterconnected in an endless loop being mounted to the two tracksections and being positioned between the track sections. Each end ofthe modular unit 24 extends relatively closely to the cross beam at eachend of the pallet position in the bay. The curved end of each unit ismounted to the cross beam in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 by means ofa saddle 50 welded to the cross beam and having arms 52 having arcuateupper surfaces 54 extending outwardly therefrom. Brackets 56 mounted onthe outer ends of the arms and bolted by bolts 57 to the track byvertical slots 59 in the brackets hold the track in a nested positionagainst the saddle. This construction is employed at all intermediatebeams along the length of the pallet support mechanism.

An important feature of the present invention is the incorporation of apallet transfer assembly 58 between each adjacent section of the modularcarriage assembly. Pallet transfer assembly 58 includes a bracket 60bolted to the upper ends of each adjacent track module, with a wheelsupport frame 62 extending between the brackets and with a plurality ofwheels 64 being rotatably mounted in the wheel support frame forrotation about a transverse axis. The upper plane of the wheels is atthe same level as the upper plane of the support surfaces of the carriermembers. Without the wheels, when the pallets reach the end of eachcarriage unit, the ends of the pallets tend to drop downwardly somewhatand then engage the next adjacent carriage unit partially in the side ofthe unit. This can cause the pallets to stop their even flow along thepallet support mechanism. The wheels of the transfer mechanism cause thepallets to flow smoothly from one modular section to the next. Thewheels also have another advantage, in that they tend to slow themovement of the pallets along the pallet support mechanism. When thepallets are on the wheeled carrier members, they tend to pick upmomentum and increase speed, but when they engage the transfermechanism, some of the momentum is absorbed by the transfer mechanismand the pallets tend to slow down. This causes a natural modulation ofthe speed of the pallets along the carrier mechanism.

The manner in which the modular tracks are mounted at the ends of thepallet support mechanism is shown in FIG. 8. An end bracket 66 isattached to each track section 27 at the end of the rack. End bracket 66has a slot 67 that fits over upper flange 68 of C-shaped end cross beam16B. An outwardly extending flange 70 at the end of a portion of endbracket 66 below the slot 67 in the end of end bracket 66 is bolted tothe vertical portion of beam 16B to securely hold the carriage unitmodule to the end of the rack. Upwardly and rearwardly sloped plate 72bolted to stop plate 44 engages and decelerates a pallet before it hitsthe stop plate.

As shown in FIG. 4, the front end of the front module is connected tothe front cross beam 16A in the same manner as the rearmost module isattached to the rear cross beam. End bracket 74 welded to the end of thetrack fits over flange 76, and the outer end of flange 74 is attached tothe vertical portion of beam 16A.

The shape of the upper surface of carrier members 25 also is importantin the smooth flow of the pallets from one modular section to the next.Carrier members 25 have a flat upper surface that is horizontal when thecarrier members are positioned on a level stretch of track. Front andrear edges 78 of support surfaces 41 are inclined downwardly at an angleof approximately 45 degrees. This causes the outer edges of the supportsurfaces to miss the wheel support frame 62 and yet permit the supportsurface 41 of the carrier members to pass quite close (within ⅛ inch) tothe wheel support frame. The inclined edges of the carrier supportsurfaces also reinforce the strength of the carrier support surfaces andresist bending of the surfaces under the weight of a pallet.

The installation and removal of each modular section is relativelysimple. The modular section is simply dropped into place and bolted tothe saddles or front and rear beams 16A and 16B at the ends of thetrack. The bolt fasteners are mounted in slots to some extent in orderto provide some adjustment.

Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 9-23. Inthis embodiment, instead of two parallel tracks on opposite sides of thebay, a single module 80 of the pallet support mechanism extends for thefull width of the bay, with left and right G-shaped track sections 82being positioned adjacent the outer sides of the bay and with widercarrier elements 84 extending between the two track sections across theentire width of the bay and riding on the track sections on wheels 85.The track sections are substantially the same as the track sections inthe previously embodiment. Track spreader support brackets 86 extendbetween upper and lower rails at spaced locations along the rails inorder to reinforce the rails and maintain proper separation between therails. The construction of the spreader support brackets is shown inFIGS. 18A-18C. As shown in FIG. 13, a face plate 87 is mounted on thesides of the upper and lower rails 91 and 93, while perpendicularflanges 89 fit between rails 91 and 93 and maintain the spacing betweenthem.

Cross braces 88 extend between spreader support brackets on oppositesides of the track in order to maintain the lateral spacing of theseparate track sections 82. The previous embodiment also employs bracesbetween the track spreader supports, but the braces are of courseshorter.

While the track sections 82 of the full width modules 80 can be attachedto the cross beams in the same manner as the previous embodiment, analternative fastening method is shown in FIGS. 11-15. This alternativefastening method can also be used in the previous embodiment.

In FIG. 11, the end of the rearmost track section is attached to rearcross beam 16B by means of a mounting flange 90 that is bolted (asopposed to being welded) to the track section by bolts 92 that ride inadjustable slots 94. This permits some adjustment of the bracket toaccommodate beams that are mounted in somewhat different positions.

The manner in which intermediate sections of track modules are attachedto intermediate cross beams is shown in FIGS. 13-15. A welded sidebracket 96 is attached to the front end of module 80 in FIG. 13 and thisbracket is bolted to the cross beam 16C. An outwardly extending flange98 on the upper side of the side bracket rests on the top of the crossbeam.

On the other side of the same beam, the rear end of the module on thatside is attached to the same cross beam (by the same bolts) by a bracket100 that is bolted to the track by means of adjustable slots 102. Thispermits the brackets to be adjusted so that variations in distances canbe accommodated. Upper edges of the brackets rest on the beam. It isdesired to have the side brackets on one module be welded and the sidebrackets on the adjacent module be bolted so as to permit someadjustment while retaining necessary rigidity.

The full width modules employ a transfer assembly 104 that is somewhatdifferent from the transfer assembly of the more narrow modules.Transfer assembly 104 includes three spaced rollers 106 approximatelysix inches long at three lateral locations along the width of the palletsupport mechanism and positioned between adjacent ends of carriagemodules. The upper surfaces of the rollers are positioned at the sameplane as the upper support surface of the carrier members. As with theprevious embodiment, the rollers are mounted on a transverse supportframe 108, and the support frame is mounted to the tracks on both sidesof the transfer mechanism by brackets 110. The rollers are positioned sothat they come within ⅛ of an inch from the carrier members as they passdownwardly around the curved end of the modules.

The horizontal support surface 113 of the carrier members 112 also issomewhat different in this embodiment. As in the previous embodiment,the front and rear trailing edges 115 of the support surfaces areinclined at an angle of 45 degrees in order to permit the supportsurfaces to come as close to the rollers without hitting them. In orderto reinforce the elongated support surfaces from sagging under weight, areinforcement channel 114 extends laterally along the length of theelongated carrier support surface, as shown in FIG. 22C.

Because the roller transfer assembly is also subjected to a substantialbending force when pallets pass over the roller transfer assembly, theroller transfer assembly is also reinforced to prevent sagging. Thecentral roller in the roller transfer assembly is mounted in an upwardlyfacing U-shaped channel 116, and a V-shaped reinforcement member 118 ismounted on the bottom of the channel. The reinforcement member rides onthe top of cross beam 16C and thus prevents the rollers from saggingunder the weight of pallets passing over the rollers.

As in the previous embodiment, the roller transfer assembly also servesto dampen the momentum of pallets as they pass from one modular sectionto the next, thus impeding any increase in speed as the pallets rollalong the pallet support mechanism. The position and height of therollers insures that the pallets flow smoothly from one modular sectionto the other.

It should be understood that the foregoing is merely exemplary of thepreferred practice of the present invention and that variousmodifications in the arrangements and details of the constructiondisclosed herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention.

1. A modular storage rack comprising: a frame defining at least onestorage bay having a depth sufficient to accommodate a plurality ofseparate storage units in separate horizontally spaced sections of thestorage bay, the frame comprising cross beams between the ends ofadjacent sections of the storage bay; a plurality of modular carriageunits, each extending substantially for the length of a storage baysection, each carriage unit including an endless loop oval track sectionwith spaced, interconnected wheeled carrier members being connected inan endless loop and mounted for movement around the track section, eachcarriage unit extending into proximity to the cross beams at the ends ofthe storage bay sections; mounting brackets interconnecting the ends ofthe track sections with adjacent cross beams so as to suspend thecarriage units between the beams on opposite ends of the storage baysections; and a transfer assembly mounted in the frame between adjacentends of adjacent carriage units, the transfer assembly comprisingcylindrical members mounted for rotation about a transverse axis andbeing positioned with an upper side of the cylinder members beingsubstantially at the same level as the upper side of the carriage units,such that the rollers maintain storage units at a substantially levelplane as they are transferred from one storage unit to the next adjacentstorage unit.
 2. A modular storage rack as in claim 1 wherein thetransfer assembly includes a transverse support member that extends overa cross beam, with the cylindrical members being rotatably mounted inthe support member, the support member being mounted at ends thereof toopposing ends of adjacent carriage units.
 3. A modular storage rack asin claim 2 wherein the transverse support member comprises an upwardlyfacing channel member, the channel member extending across the storagebay and having brackets that extend transversely from the channel, thebrackets being releasably fastened to the ends of adjacent tracksections to secure the transfer assembly to the track section.
 4. Amodular storage rack as in claim 3 wherein the cylindrical members arewheels rotatably mounted on axles mounted in the channel member.
 5. Amodular storage rack as in claim 1 wherein the transfer assemblyincludes cylindrical members that are mounted in close proximity to theadjacent carriage units, such that storage units are maintained at thesame level when they travel from the track section to the next tracksection over the transfer unit.
 6. A modular storage rack as in claim 5wherein the transfer assembly includes cylindrical members that arepositioned about one-eighth inch away from track sections on adjacentsides of the transfer assembly.
 7. A modular storage rack as in claim 1wherein the transfer assembly includes at least three longitudinallyspaced cylindrical roller members positioned between the ends ofadjacent track sections, the cylindrical members being positioned toengage storage units and modulate the speed of the storage units as theyare transferred from track section to track section in the storage bay.8. A modular storage rack as in claim 1 wherein the carriage units aresupported by saddle members mounted on the cross beams, the saddlemembers engaging and supporting ends of the track sections, the tracksections being releasably fastened to the saddle members.
 9. A modularstorage rack as in claim 1 wherein the carriage units are attached tothe cross beams by brackets mounted on the track sections, the bracketsresting on the cross beams and being releasably fastened to the crossbeams, a bracket at one end of a track section being welded to the tracksection, a bracket at an opposite end of the track section being boltedto the track section through a longitudinal slot in the bracket thatpermits longitudinal position adjustment of the track section withregard to the cross beams.
 10. A modular storage rack as in claim 1wherein the rack includes a stop plate at an end of the storage bay toprevent storage units from falling off the end of the bay, the storageunits being liftable over the stop plate to remove the storage unitsfrom the bay, the storage rack including an upwardly ramped plateadjacent an inner side of the stop plate that engages a storage unit andslows it down before it hits the stop plate as the storage unit slidesupwardly on the ramped plate.
 11. A modular storage rack as in claim 1wherein the carriage members include plate members having horizontalstorage unit support surfaces, the plate members being downwardlyinclined at opposite sides of the support surfaces so as to provideclose clearance between the plate members and the transfer assembly whenthe plate members move around arcuate sections of the track at the endsthereof.